Galaxy Continues the MDT Push

One of the key selling points for the AMD Radeon series of graphics cards the last few generations has been Eyefinity - the ability to run more than two displays off of a single card while also allowing for 3+ display gaming configurations. NVIDIA-based solutions required a pair of GPUs running in SLI for this functionality, either standard SLI or the "SLI-on-a-card" solutions like the GTX 590.

However, another solution has appeared from Galaxy, an NVIDIA partner that has created a series of boards with the MDT moniker - Multi-Display Technology. Using a separate on-board chip the company has created GTX 560 Ti, GTX 570 and GTX 580 cards that can output to 4 or 5 monitors using only a single NVIDIA GPU, cutting down on costs while offering a feature that no other single-GPU solution could.

Today we are going to be reviewing the Galaxy GeForce GTX 570 MDT X4 card that promises 4 display outputs and a triple-panel seamless gaming surface option for users that want to explore gaming on more than a single monitor inside the NVIDIA ecosystem.

KFA^2 is a leading European graphics card manufacturer for Nvidia based cards. Their latest card is the KFA^2 GTX 580 EX OC MDT X4, and it represents the top tier of their multi-display lineup.

As the name implies, the new GTX 580 EX OC MDT X4 card is based on Nvidia’s GTX 580 GPU. From there, the card is overclocked and outfitted with the ability to drive up to four displays. Using their “virtual single monitor mode,” the card is able to present an Eyefinity like display (via Nvidia Surround tech) to the operating system (as one giant display), and then stretch the output across three monitors. The resolution of the three monitor display can be up to 5760x1080. Interestingly the refresh rate needs to be at 50Hz. The card package will include the necessary driver and application software to make the multi-display work. There are three mini HDMI ports and one mini Display Port on the back of the card, and the three mini HDMI ports are used for the three monitor surround panel while the Display port can be hooked up to a fourth monitor that is not part of the main display group.

The card has 1.5 GB of GDDR5 memory as well as the same 384-bit memory interface; however, from there the core and memory clocks both get a nice overclock at 840 MHz and 2004 MHz respectively. Further, the KFA^2 model ditches the reference cooling solution for a custom LED lit affair with a total of three fans to keep the card frosty at the overclocked clock speeds. Graham Brown, the European Marketing Manager for KFA^2 stated that “all these features combine, has produced a new level to consider when looking at the GTX 580 range.”

The new graphics card will be available throughout Europe soon and will come with a 2 year warranty. No word yet on pricing but expect it to be somewhere around $540 USD.